Characterization of the Misfit and the Grandmother in Flannery O'Connor's "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" Essay

Throughout her short story A Good Man Is Hard to Find, Flannery OConnor uses subtle characterization to establish the characters of the Misfit and the Grandmother. While some of the characteristics in the story are straightforward and easily understood, others require one to look beneath the surface. Upon ones first reading of the story, he or she most likely believes that the Misfit is a dangerous, bad criminal, and the Grandmother just an old woman but upon closer examination, it is obvious that, in fact, the Grandmother is the real villain of the story while the Misfit is a man who feels he has a name to uphold and has learned many of lifes lessons.First, the Grandmother introduces the Misfit early in the story when she states, That fellow that calls himself the Misfit is aloose from the Federal Pen(352)I wouldnt take my children in any direction with a criminal like that aloose in it (352). Already, the reader is led to believe that the Misfit must indeed be an awful criminal. The Grandmother is also characterized early in the story. Her grandchildren state, She wouldnt stay at home for a million bucks. Afraid shed miss something. She has to go everywhere we go (352). It seems that early in the story that the Misfit is a bad man, while the Grandmother is just an old woman who enjoys spending time with her family.Next, although the Grandmother seems to be a sweet, old woman, there are several instances that point to the fact that she is manipulative and hypocritical. Di Renzo says in his book American Gargoyles that many critics have objections to "A good man is hard to find" because of O'Connor's elaborate comic depiction of the grandmother and her family. He goes on to say that because the family is so ludicrous, "so irredeemably gauche and petty," that it would be impossible for the reader to sympathize with them, even when the misfit...